Chapter 246: True Madness
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: True Madness
Dialogue is likely the most ideal means of resolving conflicts between individuals.
Regrettably, reality is rarely so accommodating.
Sometimes, a situation demands abandoning dignity and resorting to violence. Say, when dealing with someone you can't talk sense into, a lunatic, or a lunatic...
Anyhow.
That is precisely the situation now. A moment where dignity is far away and violence needs to be near. Because the Association President running away while spraying blood everywhere is a lunatic who can't be reasoned with.
Stab.
Unable to just stand by and watch a critically ill patient, I had "no choice" but to administer a knife shot. Stabbed in the side with a sashimi knife, the Association President's eyes bulged enormously.
"Gahhhhhhh!"
An ear-splitting scream echoed out. Because the lab was spacious and made of steel inside, the echo swirled endlessly. At the center of the scene stood the Association President, spewing blood from his mouth, and me.
"Just a little prick."
Having taken a knife shot to the abdomen, the Association President foamed at the mouth and went into convulsions. Rolling his eyes back so only the whites showed, he looked to be in terribly poor shape.
Oh dear... Poor thing, his madness seems quite severe.
Times like this call for a hardened heart. My heart aches at the screams of an old man over two hundred years old, but this is all part of the treatment.
I must emphasize that this is by no means mere violence.
I don't want to do this to the Academy Principal's father either.
My heart hurts.
It aches as if it's tearing apart.
So I must cure his madness as quickly as possible. Besides, I only have about forty seconds left on my [Blessing of Painlessness].
"I'm going to give you one more shot."
"S-Stop... Stop...!"
"If you move, it hurts more... Ah, right."
I scratched my head with the pommel of my knife.
"I wanted it to hurt."
"Eeeek!"
Ignoring his waving hands, I thrust the sashimi knife once more. Spurt— Blood spattered onto my cheek.
"Damn it, I'll have to use plenty of soap when I wash my face later."
The Association President's complexion began turning pale as a corpse. Around now, I activate the [Blessing of Regeneration]. Since the [Blessing of Regeneration] restores bodily blood as well, there's no fear of excessive bleeding or death from shock.
As long as the timing is right, the patient will never die. No, he can't die. I won't let him die.
It occurs to me anew that if this blessing were distributed, it would turn the medical world upside down.
Even a quack like me has already cured several people.
Of course, the blessing alone isn't enough. It was the result of my precise knife work combined with a steadfast determination to save lives.
Doesn't this make me a Divine Doctor?
·
·
·
Or not.
* * *
"It hurts, doesn't it, Association President?"
Stab.
"It must feel like giant iron spikes are being driven into you."
Stab.
"Think of this pain as the pain the Academy Principal felt just a moment ago."
Stab.
"Children aren't the only ones who drive spikes into hearts."
Stab.
"Parents often drive spikes into their children's hearts too."
Stab.
"I know all too well, being a victim myself."
* * *
"Um... Geomma."
Watching the scene of the Association President's madness treatment, Medea called out to Kang Geomma. He turned back to look at her. Her face was pale as a sheet.
"I completely understand how you feel, Principal. You must be upset because of your father. Don't worry. It will be over soon."
Kang Geomma spoke reassuringly. Medea's lips trembled slightly, and then she shook her head.
"Geomma, no matter how I look at this, isn't this just torture, not treatment...?"
"Principal."
Kang Geomma said to her with stern eyes.
"Even if it looks a bit extreme, you know as well as I do that this is the only way to cure the Association President's madness."
Medea answered Kang Geomma's lecture with silence.
"..."
At the same time, she thought: Victor Poison was a madman. Her father was a madman who knew he was insane.
On the other hand, what about Kang Geomma? She felt bad saying this about her beloved student, but Kang Geomma was a madman too. Listing his past actions alone made it clear just how crazy he was.
However, under normal circumstances, he acted in accordance with an upright moral sense and common sense. Except for when his so-called 'madness switch' was turned on, Kang Geomma was a thoroughly proper (?) student.
His occasional un-childlike traits were likely because he had grown up early due to the absence of his parents. His mentally unstable demeanor was undoubtedly due to that as well.
A pitiful situation where he had no one to rely on in this world except himself. A heaven-sent genius who achieved unbelievable feats despite such countless misfortunes.
Geomma endured all those hardships of life without breaking.
Medea resolved herself. It was her role to act as a moderator, ensuring this lovable yet tragic, matchless genius did not go off the rails. Even if Kang Geomma wavered between a normal person and a madman, he could surely change depending on his surroundings and the people around him.
The problem is...
Kang Geomma lacked any awareness that he was insane. He didn't know he was crazy. He thought of himself as a normal person.
"It might look like simple violence. But to realize the preciousness of life, one must feel the process of approaching death—that is, experience the pain with one's whole body."
"..."
"I don't feel easy doing this to the Association President either. I feel uncomfortable. But what can I do? It's all part of the treatment."
Even now, as he lectured her, Kang Geomma was dead serious.
Because he genuinely believed that, he put it into practice without a shred of hesitation.
Fine, granting him every benefit of the doubt, let me assume Kang Geomma is completely right.
Even in hero society, resolving situations with violence was not particularly rare.
If it were, what Kang Geomma did to the Archery Saint would have been profoundly wrong to begin with.
Although Medea held back her fists with the Archery Saint due to certain circumstances, even though she wanted to beat him to a pulp, she endured.
But Kang Geomma hadn't held back. He went straight to the hospital room and plunged a sashimi knife into him without hesitation. At that, Medea had secretly felt a thrilling, refreshing burst of satisfaction.
Right, high-and-mighty noble heroes only open their ears when you speak to them with blades or fists.
Case in point: hadn't Medea herself slapped her father right off the bat?
It was only a matter of degree; violence was still violence. She wasn't in a position to lecture Kang Geomma about it.
Still, even so.
"Gaaaaaaah!"
How could he treat Victor Poison, a giant of the Hero Association, like a fish on a cutting board?
And his lines sound like "just a little prick" or "surgery."
Moreover, when she mentioned that it seemed too cruel, he turned it around and treated her like a soft-hearted weakling.
They say a true lunatic never knows he's a lunatic...
Medea groaned inwardly. She questioned whether Kang Geomma could ever be corrected into a normal person. If it was unrefined, pure madness, there was nothing even she could do about it.
Right then.
"By the way, isn't the Association President originally a combat-type hero? He does resist, but for someone holding the title of 'Association President,' he seems weaker than expected."
Kang Geomma wiped the blade on his clothes and suddenly asked. On the chair right next to him, the Association President was passed out cold.
Medea swallowed her dry spit and responded.
"Dad isn't a combat-specialized hero, true. Still, he possesses combat power comparable to an average Warrior rank."
"Is that so?"
Kang Geomma looked at the unconscious Association President with surprised eyes. That scrawny pretty boy?
"He doesn't seem quite up to that level, though."
"That's because you're..."
...insanely strong, Geomma.
The unspoken words lingered in Medea's throat. Because the single sashimi knife in his hand was becoming two.
"If he's Warrior rank, just to be safe, I had better draw another one."
"Maybe... you don't need to go that far?"
"Vigilance is key."
Kang Geomma shook his head.
"If the Association President decides to rebel—no, resist—with all his might, I might accidentally stab a vital spot. That could result in a fatal accident."
Kang Geomma asserted. Medea pressed her temples tightly at the onset of dizziness.
Meanwhile, the limp Association President fluttered his dim eyes. It seemed he had returned to the living world after completing his third trip to the underworld.
The Association President groaned in pain. His focus completely unfocused. Drool dripped from his chin.
"Save me..."
Hearing that, Kang Geomma approached the Association President.
"Please be clear. Are you asking me to save you, or are you saying you want to live?"
"I'm saying I want to live!"
Kang Geomma lowered his voice to a deep tone. At that, the Association President poured out his words as if begging for his life.
"Heavenly Sword, thanks to you, I have realized that death is a pain greater than eternal life! I was ignorant! Life is not a series of suffering! Even rolling in dog dung, the world of the living is better..."
"Keep it brief."
"I want to live! I don't want to die! Not at all! I will strive to live diligently!"
Victor continued to beg for his life. His state was pathetic, belying his title as Association President.
"Don't ever talk about dying again. Otherwise, you'll be seeing me again."
"Even if my lifespan ends, I will receive life-prolonging treatment and keep living!"
Kang Geomma looked down at the Association President, then turned his gaze to Medea.
"It seems the madness treatment is mostly complete."
Kang Geomma bared his teeth in a smile. His fangs gleamed sharp.
"If you'd like additional treatment, just let me know, Principal."
"..."
Medea couldn't say a single word. She merely let out a sigh deep enough to echo.
* * *
Thus ended the physical therapy. Medea summoned the escort and secretary to the laboratory.
"..." "..."
The moment they stepped foot into the laboratory, the two clamped their hands over their noses. The metallic stench of blood gave them a throbbing headache.
"What in the world..."
The lab was splashed with blood in every direction. It was a bloody mess—an amount of gore that looked as though at least twenty people had bled to death.
Foreseeing the escort and secretary's commotion, Medea briefly explained the recent situation. The two were stunned speechless.
The escort and secretary stared at each other blankly. Summarizing the Principal's story, it boiled down to: The Heavenly Sword shanked the Association President...
"It's not that you're slow on the uptake. I completely understand how both of you feel. So let me just say... let's accept it."
"If you say so, Principal..."
"Needless to say, this stays between us. Word must not leak out. Absolute secrecy. You know what I mean, right?"
"Yes."
The female secretary answered.
"Should word leak out, both of us will commit suicide. As we have sworn."
"Suicide?! I never made any such—!"
The female secretary glared sharply at the male escort. The male escort cursed under his breath.
Damn it.
This woman brings up suicide at every turn. Especially when the Association President ended up like that after making a fuss about wanting to die.
The male escort surreptitiously glanced toward a corner of the lab. Kang Geomma and the Association President were engaged in a heated discussion in front of an old computer.
Seeing that, the escort felt utterly bewildered. The two were chatting harmoniously as if nothing had happened. The mental world of lunatics was far beyond his common sense.
"So what you're saying, Association President, is that we load these cyborg angel bastards onto a spaceship and blast them beyond the stratosphere. That's it, right?"
Kang Geomma summarized their conversation so far.
"Why go through all the trouble of sending them into space?"
"Defying gravity to send them into space takes an incredible amount of effort and resources, but once they're up there, the advantages far outweigh the cost. For instance, solar power covers electricity, and near-vacuum conditions in space minimize the risk of decay. Do you understand?"
"I get the advantages. But to launch a spaceship, we'd need help from the United States, which would cause major delays."
"Why care about what those Yanks think? I've already set up launch facilities beneath my Antarctic Base. We can launch at a moment's notice with the press of a button."
"All by yourself?"
"No matter how much time I have as an Ancient, that would be impossible. While there are none here since this lab is my private space, there are robots assisting me all over the Antarctic Base."
The Association President operated the keyboard to switch the monitor display. Footage of robots busily moving around appeared on the monitor. However, the robots' appearances were ridiculous. Penguins, seals. They resembled animals native to Antarctica.
"Why do they all look like that?"
"Personal preference."
"I respect it."
"At any rate, the launched spaceship will orbit Earth like a satellite. And only when you, Heavenly Sword, speak a specific 'command word' will it drop from space to the ground like a meteor."
"Falling from the sky is certainly a fitting entrance for angels."
"Might as well stick to the theme while we're at it. If angels fall from the sky, even Permush will likely be intimidated deep down. How is my plan?"
"To be completely honest, it sounds insane. From start to finish, every bit of it."
Kang Geomma said with a deadpan expression.
"Let's do it immediately."
Humanity was thoroughly prepared.
All that remained was a worthy opponent—that demon bastard who would invade through the Gate.